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Auto News for May 23 – 800 hp will not be cheap

Wall Street approved Ford’s move to name Jim Hackett, the former Steelcase leader, as its new CEO. Ford shares closed yesterday’s session up 2 percent. Analysts say Hackett and his new team have has a tough job ahead. The company must make the right investments in the future regarding mobility, electric cars, etc. while trying to cope with slowing sales on the domestic market.

Dodge said its more than 800 horsepower Challenger SRT Demon will carry an MSRP of $84,995 including a $1,700 gas guzzler tax but excluding $1,095 for transportation. In case you missed it, Dodge claims a 0-60 of 2.3 seconds making it the world’s fastest in that category. For $1 owners can get the Demon Crate Package that features:

A front passenger seat can also be had for $1 and the same for a rear seat. The driver’s seat is standard.

For buyers who must have a sunroof – Power sunroof ($4,995)

Only 3,000 Demon’s will be offered here in the U.S. with production commencing this summer.

A new poll of drivers in the U.S., Europe and the U.K. shows 1.4-times as many Americans trust tech companies to secure their connected car data than automakers. The trend was reversed in the four other countries with 1.5 times as many trusting automakers. In the U.S., Baby Boomers tend to believe connected cars and autonomous vehicles will be less safe than cars on the road today, while Gen Xs and Millennials expect them to be safer.

The majority of UK drivers (61%) expect autonomous vehicles to be as safe or safer than current cars, yet fewer than one in five (17%) would actually buy one. The study was conducted by INRIX Research.

Honda has completed renovations to its test facility in the Mojave Desert, near Cantil, California. It features a 7.5-mile high-speed banked oval track capable of testing vehicles at speeds over 200 miles per hour, and a 4.5-mile winding road course that incorporates 28 curves and six different hills into the design. Automobiles, motorcycles, side-by-sides and ATVs will all be rung out here.